A Commander's Dilemma
by The Decaying Author
Summary: After years of hard work, Sonic had taken over G.U.N. He should be proud -if such a job hadn't dropped a new plethora of problems onto his lap. Former Commander Towers wasn't happy. Unrest. Robotnick at the borders. Add the Ultimate Lifeform messing with his work, and Sonic wonders if he should quit. Then again, he'd always been too stubborn for his own good. Sonadow.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a little experiment of mine. While Bitter Cold and Caged Time are practices, this plot bunny refused to not be written out. It's set in a AU world loosely inspired from the comics. Enjoy :D**

* * *

He shifted his stance, struggling to push down the urge to tap his feet as he stood still behind sharp blue curtains, his frame almost vibrating with anticipation and nervousness. A stab of fear coursed through his mind at the idea of being late, and against his will he responded to it almost immediately. Worried eyes the color of emeralds looked at the digital clock set on one of the plastic tables, narrowing at the time displayed on it.

[6:02 PM]

He resisted the urge to peak through the heavy curtains. _What is taking them so long?_ Wasn't he supposed to start at 6? Had something happened? Did Eggman decide to crash the party?

If yes, why hadn't Topaz informed him of it?

The anticipation was killing him. He felt as if he was going to die from lack of oxygen. Wether it was the stress that sent him to a early grave or him chicken in out and leaving, he could barely hold himself together. For someone used to running across Zones in mere minutes, the massive, lavish room the Galla was held in felt way too small for his comfort. It was as if he was going to collapse from the weight of the stares and whispers.

Sheer force of will kept him from cracking.

Sonic wriggled his hands nervously, sharp green eyes imagining the waiting crowd in front of him. The blue hedgehog couldn't believe he had reached this point so soon in life, and while normally he would enjoy defying everyone's expectations, defying the natural order, this was the time where he needed to pull bureaucracy out of his ass.

As much as people called him charismatic, this was a completely new field for the Blue Blur.

He could do this, right? _Remember what Tails said. I just need to read what I wrote and be as cool as cucumber._ Blue ears lowered slightly at the thought, a surge of melancholy sweeping over him as he remembered that his friends hadn't been allowed into the function, and were going to watch his first public appearance since his promotion from the comfort of their own homes.

It didn't feel fair, but it was too late to change it now.

A murmur came from beyond the curtains, snapping him out of his troubled thoughts.

"Ladies and gentlemen, here is your new leader, Commander Sonic the Hedgehog."

Topaz' strong voice soothed him somewhat, making him remember why he was there. Sonic straightened up and breathed in deeply. Stepping out of behind the curtains, he focused on the back of his friend's head, refusing to make eye contact with any of the dignitaries below.

It was showtime.

He walked up to the podium with as much grace he could muster, ignoring his stomach doing backflips and his quills standing up, threatening to tear the fabric of the vest Topaz had forced on his poor self just before the event. He placed the papers he held so tightly on the smooth metal podium, emerald eyes flicking down at the first line for a moment to reassure himself.

 _Do I really want to do this?_

Below, the crowd waited.

A really, really big crowd of aristocrats, contributors, generals and ministers.

Sonic took another deep breath to steady himself, gripping the edge of the pedestal tightly as he surveilled the humans below. He'd come this far, he could make it through some silly speech, right?

He had worked down to his bones to get this position, the blue hedgehog wasn't going to give up now, not when this post would allow him to aid thousands of poor souls in need.

 _Yes, I want this. For them._ Green eyes blazed, and alight with a new purpose, the Blue Blur straightened up, hesitation gone as looked at the gathered crowd and began talking.

xxxxxx

Surprisingly, it was easier than he'd expected.

The fact he'd spent the last three weeks working on this did help things along. There was no way he could screw up with Tails on his side.

(Fuck yes for little brothers with IQs higher than the population of Green Hill Zone.)

After his speech was over however, came the most annoying part of the event, and the one that made him silently wonder how much time was left until his first grey parch of fur. Several journalist asked him about how he'd felt about his new job, or what he planned to do about Eggman and his growing Empire threatening the safety of the Zones.

Sonic answered those questions as smoothly as he could, making sure to remark that he'd been at the front lines against the megalomaniac human, and he'd defeated the crazed scientist in combat each time they've fought.

He even preened a bit at the cameras, hoping the insane Doctor was watching. Let him see how far he'd come -before Sonic had been just a mere glorified soldier at the front lines, scrambling to defeat each new wave of robots with his unnatural speed. After tonight, he held one of the most powerful positions on the planet, and was in command of a vast army.

If Eggman thought he was a nightmare before, the old man was going to have one hell of a bad time now.

Just as he had hoped, Sonic's outright challenge of the manic dictator seemed to relieve the tension in the room, as it had been a important topic for the new leader of Mobius' largest military organization. Either way, it was something Sonic was very knowledgeable about, and it seemed that his honest replies had been enough to sate the press if their faces were anything to go by.

Three hours after his speech, Sonic was finally able to jump off the podium, shuffling away with a relieved sigh as he ran his fingers through his quills. Topaz followed close behind like a shadow, the bags under her eyes just as big as Sonic's own.

The Blue Blur silently hoped this kind of a event was going to be a rare thing.

He wasn't feeling like having stress lines at nineteen, thank you very much.

"Told you it wouldn't be that bad. Now, if you hadn't stayed up until midnight yesterday, things would have been a lot smoother." The woman halfheartedly chided him as she was handed back the papers he'd kept on the podium in case his memory decided today was the day it would take a vacation.

"It was worth it." Sonic muttered reflexively as he made his way through the sea of sapients, keeping a eye out for voracious reporters. Now that the speech was done, the cobalt male wanted to relax...he had a feeling however that it would be the last time he would do so once he entered the office officially. "Besides, light up, will you? My time in office has barely started and you're already trying to make me worry." He looked back at her and smiled roguishly. "Save the worrying for later, alright? Now' the time for a party!"

"I don't think spending the night in a room filled with your employees and providers is supposed to count as a party." The brunette chortled behind him, but he ignored the human in favor of pushing his way towards the tables, skipping around the talkative crowd with the skill of a veteran.

"Just wait for the magic of alcohol to kick in!" Sonic retorted as he left her behind, dodging dignitaries with the skill of veteran. Several humans cast him sideway glances and some even tried to talk to him, but Sonic turned a blind eye and the sea of people quickly swept them away.

The young hero looked around, eyes narrowing as he scanned the faces of the G.U.N. agents and civilians. To his mild surprise, the hedgehog found that Towers was missing from the crowd of officers. It seemed as if the former Commander had refused to come to his first speech, not that the blue hero was complaining about it.

He didn't want to see the vicious human any more than he needed. It served the old man right, for him to stay at home. Who would want that paranoid fossil to stick around anyways? It would be asking for trouble, give the man's shady background and less than stellar choices that led to him retiring.

Content, Sonic swiped a glass of wine from one of the waitresses and greedily drank the alcohol, letting himself savour the taste of victory.

His joy, however, quickly ended when Topaz walked by and snatched the glass away from him.

xxxxxxx

It was only after midnight that Sonic entered his new office bearing a slightly tipsy walk, the four glasses he'd managed to sneak under Topaz's hawk-like watch enough to leave him in a slightly inebriated state.

Thankfully the Galla was held in the main compound, otherwise he'd have to find a spare room to sleep him. The Commander possessed his own quarters adjoined with the office however, so Sonic was saved from having to curl up in a corner somewhere and sleep off the exhaustion and alcohol.

It wouldn't have been the first time. Despite how much he argued, Knuckles' initial assessment of him being a light weight had yet to be disproven. Once more Sonic felt a twinge of sadness at the thought of his friends not being told him that his life was about to get a lot more complicated with his new job as Commander.

Chasing those thoughts away, he turned back to his task and blearily searched for the light switch. Sonic frowned as his hands rested on the place he remembered the switch being from his last visit where he'd checked that Towers had fully cleared out, but instead of a small switch he was greeted with the feeling of hot plastic seeping into his glove, burning his fur.

Yelping and suddenly wide awake at the sharp warmth, the young mobian jerked his hand away and quickly tore the offending cloth off, letting it fall on the expensive carpet. Oh, he was definitely sober now. Sharply looking up, he blinked at the sight of the destroyed switch.

It looked as if someone had take a blowtorch to it.

Had Towers decided to leave him a parting gift? He wouldn't it past the vengeful human to do so. Looking around, Sonic stilled as he spotted something, or rather someone, who had no business being here.

A figure sat on the Commander's seat, gleaming red eyes piercing through Sonic's jade ones.

It gave the intimidating creature a refined, menacing look, and coupled with the lack of light, it was a scene straight out of a nightmare. The sharp, almost reptilian eyes analyzing his every move made Sonic shift uncomfortably on the spot, despite the young male's want to stay as collected as possible while facing the most powerful biological weapon of all times.

 _Huh. The reports were right, his eyes really do glow._ Sonic thought idly as he held the intense glare, refusing to roll over at the challenge. Not one to be outdone -despite the fact he was in a enclosed space with a being who could snap him in half with his pinkie- the cobalt officer placed his hands on his hips and regarded the older being with a faintly annoyed expression.

"Geez, you could have least tried to make a less cliche introduction. The only thing you're missing is a glass of champagne and a fuzzy cat." The ruby eyes blinked slowly, a mixture of disbelief and mild irritation Sonic had grown accustomed to over the years of working at G.U.N.

To be fair, he almost pitied the fool. There was a reason Topaz is the only other agent that didn't quit at the mere implication of having to work with him. He was too much of a chaotic presence in the workplace for many to bear; at the beginning of his career, the fact that he could go toe to toe against Eggman's best creations and win was what earned him the favor of the people.

Still, pissing off the Ultimate Lifeform of all people was way out of his pay range.

(The alcohol might be partially responsible for this.)

Not having expected _that_ from his newest threat, Shadow the Hedgehog looked terribly, genuinely confused. Admittedly, his reaction was both cute and amusing for Sonic. It was likely that the immortal was rarely caught off guard.

"Excuse me?" The obsidian creature retorted slowly as if he was speaking with a mouth full of lead, likely not believing what he was hearing.

"I mean, I'm not raining on your parade or anything-" Sonic began as he stepped closer and leaned over the desk, his mouth making words while his mind was elsewhere, memorizing the other's appearance and making sure there were no weapons pointed at his brain. "-but this is the kind of thing a movie villain would do. I'm sure you've been practicing this for a while and god knows how much time you waited until I came to my office, but you kinda failed to do that spinning trick-"

"Do you think this is some kind of joke?!" The dangerous experiment snarled as his quills rattled ominously, which the young Commander counted as a personal win.

Sonic offered the older mobian a roguish grin, the alcohol in his blood daring him to keep pressing the elder's buttons.

"Well unless you were waiting here to do some really kinky shit to me, I don't see anyone sitting in my desk but me." The young hero said arrogantly, shifting his weight and watching as the other's tan lips thinned with annoyance.

"It's still Tower's desk." Shadow replied automatically, but Sonic caught a slightly twitch in his left eye. "There is still a few days left of paperwork to go through before you come into power. There is still a chance he'll try to stop the transition."

Just like that, the amusement was gone from the emerald eyes.

"Excuse me," Sonic began with all the indignation of a aggravated viper. "-I earned that desk fair and square." He exclaimed, poking the white fluff of his attacker's chest with a particularly miffed finger. Who could blame him? He had every right to be annoyed. Shadow stared down at the gloved appendage with a slight glare, as if he was contemplating snapping the offending digit in half. "Tower was forced to stand down after all of the shit he tried sweeping under the rug. I forced that bastard to roll over and hand me his seat."

"That isn't the version printed in the newspaper." Sonic turned his nose up and huffed at the male's retort. To be fair, given what he heard of the Ultimate Lifeform, he hadn't expected the other to be such a thick-headed individual.

"Well, the people of the United Federations won't be very happy to learn their military leader got laid off because he was selling weapons to renegades, stealing money from the state or participating in inhumane experimentation." Sonic stressed the last word, watching carefully as the glowing ruby eyes narrowed. "Not to mention the ARK fiasco. With the level of blackmail I have on him, he won't dare step a toe out of line. He's retired now, for the right reasons."

Sonic had made sure to tie the man's hands behind his back with steel _rope. He won't hurt anyone else ever again, not if I can help it._ How could such a monster even get so much power?

Shadow was now eyeing him carefully, as if he was seeing him in a whole new light.

"...you're not what I expected. "

"What did you expect then? I'm curious." Sonic retorted, ears flicking as he gazed down at rage Ultimate Lifeform intensely, watching the muscles under the thick black fur tense up. While the blue hedgehog admitted he was checking the other out a bit -anyone would be jealous of the bio weapon's appearance- the speedster wasn't blind to the danger he was in.

"You're the youngest general in decades." Shadow began, scrutinizing him intensively. "When I learned that you were getting promoted straight to Commander, I believed you were a puppet. Your exploits are adequate, but they meant nothing against the political backing Tower has." The creature paused, staring at him in a calculative manner.

"...this changes things."

"I can assure you I'm nothing you've ever faced before. You shouldn't underestimate me." Sonic smirked cockily as he crossed his arms. A spark of challenge gleamed in his eyes, daring the Ultimate Lifeform to respond.

Shadow did so, promptly.

The cobalt hedgehog grunted as he was forced against a wall, the weight of the furious immortal cutting off his air supply. He wriggled and trashed within the iron grip, cursing himself for not having paid more attention to his opponent. He hadn't even seen the other move!

"H-hey! What gives?!"

The hand around his neck was tight, threatening to break his spine.

"Regardless of what happened, I came here for one reason, and one reason only. Stay out of my way." Shadow hissed into his left ear, making the hero unwillingly shiver and press back against the wall in a instinctive attempt to shy away from his attacker. "Try anything against me, mortal, and I will destroy you." The promise in his voice was clear; Sonic believed he would do just that.

Despite the threat on his life, the blue hero held the other's gaze just as intensely.

"I'm the Commander now. If you hurt civilians, I'd have to stop you, by any means necessary." Sonic choked out, green eyes refusing to look away from his attacker's. "I'm not letting you hurt innocent people."

His words seemed to trigger something in Shadow. The creature's eyes widened slightly, his deadly grip slackening enough for Sonic to breathe -but suddenly red eyes flashed and the speedster found himself being pinned higher up against the wall with a strangled gasp, his feet dangling uselessly in midair.

"Are we clear?"

Sonic silently considered this. In the position he was in, it would be easily to use his pinned position as leverage and kick the other in the stomach...and yet, he didn't do so as soon as he thought about it. Shadow wasn't the Ultimate Lifeform for nothing. He couldn't afford to piss off the weapon of mass destruction in a populated area.

Agreeing seemed like the best way to go if he didn't want to end up in the hospital at the very least, or a destroyed base at the worst. He'd only started his turn as the Commander; the last thing Sonic wanted was to give his opposition any ammunition on how he was too inexperienced and young to have this job.

Humoring the moody creature really was his only choice.

"S-sure." Sonic wheezed out through the hand threatening to crush his windpipe. "So long as you don't hurt civilians or blow up buildings, I won't send the entirety of the Federation on your ass. I'm not Towers. I won't attack, I'll retaliate."

The ruby eyes peering down at him narrowed, their owner's mouth opening to respond to the wheezed out demand -only for the elder to pause as his ears twitched, catching a distant sound unheard by the struggling hero. Shadow suddenly stepped away from his target, the blue male falling into a heap at his feet, gasping for air.

Muttering under his breath, Sonic slowly staggered to his feet, refusing to be so vulnerable in front of someone like Shadow.

The Ultimate Lifeform noticed this if the amused glint in the ruby eyes was anything to go by. The creature raised his left hand, making the mobian tense up at the perspective of being attacked -but instead of lashing out at the glowering blue hedgehog, the coal-colored being merely reached into his quills and pulled out a familiar crimson jewel.

 _Huh_. So his informants were right. _He has the red Chaos Emerald_. Sonic thought as he backed away, sensing the impending power waiting to be released. It didn't escape the young hero that the immortal was much more powerful when in possession of one of the mythical gems.

(Well, fuck.)

"I'll see you soon, Commander."

A flash of light burst forth from the Chaos Emerald, momentarily blinding Sonic, who could only stare at the scorched carpet where the biological weapon of mass destruction had been standing. It had been just a fraction of a second, but he swore he'd seen the other smirk.

Did the little bastard just mock him?!

( _Soon_. That mean he was going to come back.)

The sound of the metal door snapping open forced him out of his thoughts. Topaz had slammed the door open, a gun in her hand as her eyes darted about after spotting the tired blue hedgehog leaning against a wall, searching for the threat that was long gone.

"What the hell did you get yourself into this time, brat?"

"Topaz, please shut up and get me a glass of water."


	2. Chapter 2

Green eyes gazed deeply into scarlet, searching for answers it refused to yield. He let himself be absorbed by it, the carmine depths soliciting his full attention. A part of him knew that he would never get his answers this way, but it didn't stop him from trying.

It had been one week since his disastrous meeting with the Ultimate Lifeform -one week of Topaz watching him like a hawk thinking that the creature was going to come back and finish him off. While it was annoying that the young woman still treated him as if he was a child, he knew it was worth it in the end, as he now had a way to contact the obsidian hybrid.

Problem was, it seemed that Shadow was a lazy bastard who had not yet showed up. He'd yet to receive word from the weapon of mass destruction, and it was starting to annoy him. While he understood that as a immortal, Shadow likely didn't have the same grasp on time as everyone else, the impatience he felt was starting to affect his work.

"Commander?"

Startled, Sonic looked up from the glass of wine he'd been caught examining. He found his generals staring down at him impatiently, waiting for him to speak up. Forcing down a blush by sheer force of will, the young cobalt hedgehog cleared his throat before speaking up:

"Sorry, I was thinking." He said, meeting their questioning, if not faintly annoyed gazes but refusing to look bashful or apologetic. The Blue Blur was not stupid enough to trust or relax around Towers' former allies. "Carry on."

The grisly blond man that had called him out on his daydreaming huffed, before returning to the hologram spread out in the middle of the table. Sonic took one look at the map it was showing and frowned, already knowing where this was going the moment he recognized the mountainous formation of a canyon.

Weren't they talking about their diplomatic relationship with the Kingdom of Acorns moments ago? When did it jump to the territory dispute at the edge of Robotnick's empire?

(He hated his short attention span.)

"According to our surveillance drones, Robotnick is sending a new deployment of war machines to the field this week. He will be replacing the Egg Pawns with a advanced version called Egg Gunners." The general continued, pulling up two holograms. One was of a small, familiar round robot with large guns for hands, while the second was a sleeker, much taller version that Sonic had never seen before. "They'll be set to arrive within two day's time to the frontline, and are fully equipped to handle the terrain."

Worried murmurs travelled the conference room. Sonic's ears perked up.

 _Interesting_.

He knew about this situation for a while; nearly two years ago the frontlines had managed to push forwards into Robotnick' Empire, and were now caught in a choke point in a swamp-filled, three mile long gorge. It put both sides at a disadvantage, with the unstable ground unable to support the more heavy war machines Eggman deployed and Sonic was called to eliminate, but the environment was dangerous enough that soldiers often fell prey to diseases and infection.

Of all of the zones that the two armies could have fought in, the Frontier Canyon was the worst. Sonic had been there several times during his career, and he'd lost count of how many times he'd nearly died to unstable terrain, or had to be pulled out by ropes from tar pits. The swamps swallowed animals alive, if disease didn't get you first.

"But we don't have enough soldiers to keep another wave of the drones away!" A general with salt and pepper hair exclaimed with a shout, startling Sonic.

The first one nodded with a grimace. "He's right. By the time we get the reinforcements there, the enemy's forces would already have taken control of the entire canyon."

The blue hedgehog at the end of the table narrowed his eyes, his thoughts on the Ultimate Lifeform forgotten as he mulled over what his subordinates told him. Some called the Canyon Zone a stalemate that wouldn't be resolved; Sonic called it a headache-inducing hassle.

"How about we skip all of this and go with the obvious solution."

The men kept staring. It made the blue hedgehog want to hold his head and curl up in a corner. Sometimes he forgot how oblivious and selfish humans could be.

"I should go to the frontlines." Sonic calmly took a sip of the wine glass, ignoring the thick silence brewing in the conference room as he settled back against his chair, eyes surveilling his generals carefully. "Let's face it, I could keep the gorge secure long enough for heavy reinforcements to come in. The Bigfoots are useless in the swamps, I'm the only shot we have at saving our troops stationed there."

Winning the gorge would give them a great advantage over the egoistical scientist.

The blond man who had spoken first coughed. "Are you sure you should go to the frontlines? It would be unfortunate if something were to happen to you." The human stressed the last words, earning nods from the other generals.

Sonic held back from snorting; he knew they would be throwing a party and inviting Towers back if he were to die. He was under no illusion that they liked him. _Bunch of old farts._

"With all due _respect_ General Leadox, I was born at the frontlines. I know them like the back of my hand." Sonic told the man sternly, "This is risk free for me, and we would be saving countless lives."

"Of course." The man turned his nose upwards at his words. "...sir."

Sonic made a mental note to keep a closer eye on this human. Of all the generals, he seemed to be the most outspoken of them all, and if he remembered correctly, Leadox was one of the few who viciously tried to defend Abraham Towers' seat when it was time for a election.

"If I may ask, who will lead the organization while you're gone, Commander?" A old general at the back asked, his wise blue eyes trailing on the holograms of the mechs. Sonic remembered the man; he was the one in charge of the science division. "You're not a General anymore, without you here G.U.N. could lose support."

"And we will lose more soldiers than we already lost if I don't go." Sonic stated firmly as he stood up, eyes meeting those of every human in the room. "I'm leaving today. I will keep a line of communication open with Secretary Topaz in case anything happens. She's in charge until I come back, understood?" He demanded, voice leaving no room for dispute.

The generals bowed their heads in agreement.

"Yes, Commander."

"Good." The blue hedgehog's eyes flickered down to the hologram of the canyon, thoughtful. "It should take me around two hours to get to the battle zone if I go through the Acorn Kingdom. I have no doubt that Robotnick will make his move the moment my presence is confirmed at the choke point."

"Leadox, have the soldiers pull out of the fight and retreat to our side of the canyon. Let's draw that bastard in." Sonic continued, taking a sip of his drink before setting it down sharply, emerald eyes filled with determination. "This meeting is over."

xxxxxxxxxx

"Are you sure about this?"

"It's the best way of going with this, Topaz." Sonic muttered as he checked his backpack again, making sure he had his rations, emergency health kit and phone. "Egghead is shredding through our troops since I was pulled away from there for the Galla. I can't fail them."

 _Plus, I'm interested in those new ground models the crazy bastard is going to use._ He had to wonder why it took Robotnick so much time to improve his main troops to survive better in the hostile environment of the swamp. Despite how much he hated the old man, Sonic admitted that the human was a genius. _It shouldn't have taken him two years. What is he hiding?_

"Why don't you bring Knuckles with you?" Topaz asked as she handed him a antibiotics kit in case of infection -a standard piece of equipment for anyone who went to the Canyon.

"I already called Tails." The sapphire speedster answered as he took the offered box with a muttered thanks. He then stuffed the small package in the backpack. "They're gonna meet me there as aerial support."

"...still can't believe this." Topaz sat down in one of the couches with a defeated sigh, making him pause and look over his secretary questioningly.

"Hmm?"

"You. Tails. Knuckles. It's ridiculous." The human said, waiving her arms around at the unbothered hedgehog. "Our best line of defence against Robotnick are _child soldiers_."

Unconcerned, Sonic shrugged nonchalantly. "Hey, they chose getting involved with this." He replied calmly, grabbing a standard vest and putting it on. A dark green color, it would hopefully given him a bit of camouflage in the dull swamplands.

Sonic grimaced, for a moment hating his unusual coloration. At worse, the cobalt hero could roll in the mud to cover his bright fur like he'd done last time-

"You didn't."

Sonic paused, hand hovering over the bag.

(His neck itched.)

The silence was suffocating. It seemed to stretch on and on, threatening to drown them. Topaz stayed where she was, expression calm and restrained as she watched her friend stand there as if he'd been petrified.

it was finally broken by a sigh leaving peach lips, their owner reaching out and closing the zipper of the bag smoothly. "That's besides the point." The blue hedgehog finally whispered as he stood up, fastening the backpack onto his shoulders. "Don't bring it up again."

His voice was like steel.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of." Topaz retorted as she crossed her legs, unfazed by the coldness of his tone.

"It's not something I want public, either." Sonic said in a neutral voice as he walked towards the exit. "I'll contact you once I get there." He called out, opening the heavy wooden door.

"Good luck, kid."

Sonic couldn't close the gaudy office door behind him fast enough for the young woman to not notice the tiny smile tugging at the edge of his lips.

xxxxxxxxx

"What brings you here today, sugar?"

Scarlet eyes speared into the woman's soul, seemingly searching for all of her weaknesses and dirty little secrets. A normal person would have backed off under the weight of the strange hedgehog's stare, but then again Rouge wasn't a normal woman.

Unperturbed by the piercing stare of her costumer, she patiently waited for him to respond, making herself comfortable in the isolated table situated at a corner of the small, quaint club she owned. A unfinished coffee mug sat in front of her, thin wisps of steam lazily rising up in front of her nose.

"I want information on Sonic." The being in front of her finally spoke, ruby eyes flicking towards the other costumers, searching for someone foolish enough to try to overhear their conversation. The regular patrons however stayed clear of the table they were at, recognizing the obsidian hedgehog for who he was. "I'll pay for everything you can get."

Rouge tutted softly as she leaned back, arms crossing over her ample chest. Quirking a eyebrow at her most grumpy client, she replied smoothly; "The Commander? How expected." Boring. He didn't need to be a telepath to know what she was thinking. As a master thief, there was little the woman found a challenge.

The fact that she worked at G.U.N. made it even less difficult.

"Hmph."

At the immortal's lack of worded response Rouge hummed, shifting her hips and crossing her legs as she gazed at her long time partner more seriously. "It's going to cost you. A lot."

"Money isn't a problem." Shadow intoned, not bothered by the demand.

Rouge smirked, already imagining what kind of reward she could get out of the handsome male. She knew money wouldn't be a issue to someone who had no materialistic needs. Shadow had a good source of income from his work as a mercenary for hire. He never failed a mission; even with the fact that he was picky with his contracts, never killing without the target being dangerous or corrupt, people often went out of their way to contact him.

He was just too good at his job to gloss over. While he charged a lot of money for his services, his ability to teleport into even the most secure bases of the world -save Robotropolis- and his unparalleled raw power had earned him a lot of favours from many important people.

Sometimes, Rouge wondered how much of a fool Towers was. If the man had tried repairing the biological weapon's trust in humanity, Robotnick would already be history. The only reason the madman still lived was due to the soft spot Shadow had for anything relating to his creator, and the near impossibility of infiltrating Robotropolis. Eggman was a master in the field of Chaos Theory; he'd long created a way to prevent Shadow from teleporting near his citadel without him noticing.

(And if the rumors about humanoid robots she'd heard running around wielding Chaos energy were true, entering the city would be suicide even for the Ultimate Lifeform.)

"Security isn't as lax as it used to be. I could get caught." Rouge continued slyly, tapping her nails against the wooden table. "I could go to jail."

The black hedgehog let out a small snort at her words. "I wouldn't have come to you if I didn't think you could do it." The older creature reminded her warningly.

The white bat barely swallowed back a laugh. _A challenge, eh?_

"And what, pray tell, will I get out of this?"

A purple stone was carefully placed on the dark table.

Rouge immediately straightened up at the sight of the Chaos Emerald. Her usual flourish was gone, replaced by a unnerving seriousness as she pinned the older creature in place with her aquamarine eyes.

For a moment her eyes flicked to the other costumers of the bar, as if expecting them to jump at the table and steal the precious treasure Shadow had boldly left in open air. Fortunately, the patrons were too terrified of the said obsidian creature to risk sneaking a look at their table.

Silently gauging the immortal's reaction, Rouge reached out and picked the stone up, her lips twitching as colourful sparks appeared on the gem's surface upon contact. A inner fire seemed to dance within the artifact's depth, bright and ancient, a glow no common gem could replicate. The jewel thief paused, turning the mythical artifact around in her hand, examining it while keeping eye contact with the obsidian warrior.

 _He must really want that information._ Shadow rarely departed from his precious gems, especially the red one. Since he was immortal, the obsidian creature could afford giving them away -they would always find their way back to him somehow. Still, he's serious about this.

Rouge set the mythical artifact back down on the table with a sigh, knowing that the other had backed her in a corner. There was no way she could refuse this.

"Tell me what you need."

A satisfied smirk slowly spread on Shadow's lips.

* * *

 **Well, this chapter took a while -no fluff here sorry, but it sets up the plot pretty well if you read each line carefully. With this done, I won't need to do information dumps and skip straight into the action!**

 **Now I'm gonna go work on Bitter Cold and Broken Stream. They are next in the list of updates.**


	3. Chapter 3

_"I'm impressed. I thought you were bluffing when you said it would be a challenge for me."_

"He's the _Commander_." A particularly irritated Shadow replied blandly as he stepped over the body of a bandit. "Of course his files are going to be heavily encrypted." He reminded his contact as he walked through rows of iron cages, uncaring of the fresh blood covering the dirty floor of the old factory.

Slaves of every race and gender watched him pass with wide eyes, too terrified to call out for help.

 _"I have the clearance of a G.U.N. General and I haven't been able to access anything pertaining to him. I'm starting to think his information is on a private server."_ A indignant huff echoed in Shadow's headset. _"Whoever set this up really doesn't want anything on Blue coming out."_

"How much time will you need to find it?" The Ultimate Lifeform questioned as he walked around a corner, ignoring the calls for help of the few brave prisoners who meekly tried to get his attention.

His voice attracted the attention of the last guard, the man turning away from the cage he'd just finished closing only to spot the black and red creature staring at him with unearthly red eyes. Terror shone in the human's own eyes as he levelled his gun at the weapon of mass destruction, the contraption shaking violently in his unsteady hands.

"H-hey -ack!"

A sound not unlike thunder went off as a brilliant bolt of light surged from the nothingness of the Chaos Field at Shadow's command and struck the guard in the chest. The thorax of the human exploded in a shower of gore, gun loudly clattering to the floor as his owner quickly followed.

 _"I'd say around four days, darling. A week tops."_ Rouge purred in his ears, uncaring of the murder shed likely heard through the headset.

"Contact me when you're done." Shadow responded before cutting the call before she could respond. He preferred limiting his time spent talking to the snarky thief.

The prisoners in the cages nearby flinched and backed away, whimpering as they desperately avoided the ruby eyes of the Ultimate Lifeform. Some stared at the dead guard with amazement, their bodies locked in place as their minds debated fleeing from the dangerous hybrid or thanking him for getting rid of their tormentors.

Shadow walked past the grisly scene he'd created, scarlet eyes picking out the rust-ridden stairs that led to the upper section of the building. Checking the ground floor for more guards one last time, he headed towards the end of the building, only to pause as he reached the staircase. The dark warrior forced down a scowl as something he'd thought long dead rose up in his chest, demanding him to turn around and do the right thing.

No. His mind snarled at it, hating the idea of giving in. It's their fault they are here. If they had been more careful, it wouldn't have happened.

(What would Maria do?)

...defeated, Shadow sighed loudly before snapping his fingers.

Multiple cries of surprise echoed across the black market factory as locks burst into golden flames and melted away into nothing. One of the braver prisoners reached out and poked the door of his prison, and let out a strangled keen of relief as it finally opened. Soon enough they were all out of their cages, weeping in each other's arms.

Glancing back, Shadow even saw some kick the dead guards in a futile attempt at revenge.

 _Mortals' need for violence never changes, it seems._

Not one to partake in the celebration, the immortal walked up the stairs, the damp factory floor disappearing from his sights to be replaced by a more lavish second floor. He stood in front a ornate door, which he promptly kicked open with little difficulty.

One the other side, he was greeted with the sight of a tall, slightly pudgy man frantically shoving a half-naked girl aside while reaching for a gun sitting on the elaborate wooden desk he'd been sitting on.

Which promptly caught fire.

The squeals of pain the wretched human let out as he dropped the weapon almost made Shadow sneer. It seemed as if every day there was a new reason for him to hate the overgrown apes.

The girl ran past him, sobbing loudly as she clutched the tattered remains of her clothes against her bruised skin. Shadow took note of her appearance from the corner of his eyes. Her blond hair was dirty and frazzled, and her skin hung tight against a emaciated frame.

Keeping his expression carefully blank as to disguise the sudden burst of primal rage growing within his heart, the obsidian male did not waste any time talking and walked up the petrified man, keeping his pace slow to savour the terror growing in the vile beast's eyes.

His left hand found its way around the man's throat, drawing a desperate squeak from the snivelling coward.

"Wait-"

 _ **Snap.**_

The crunch of his neck breaking was oh so satisfying for the Ultimate Lifeform. Discarding the body to the side without a thought, he focused his attention on the slightly charred desk in front of him. Walking around it, he began pulling the drawers out, checking for traps and rifling through documents quickly, making a mental note of which to keep for Rouge as he thrashed the room for what he'd came for.

Finally, as he reached the bottom left drawer, Shadow found it to be locked tight with a reinforced metal lock. He paused, eyeing the offending object, before he shrugged and grabbed it in both hands tightly. The snap that followed echoed across the lavishly furnished room as the flimsy metal face away under the strength of the Ultimate Lifeform.

His final obstacle having been overcome, Shadow easily opened the drawer. A shark-like smirk stretched across tan lips as his eyes zeroed on their target.

 _There you are._

Reaching in, Shadow pulled out a large, shimmering blue stone.

Satisfied, he traced the edges of the artifact as he stood up -but he paused when a stack of paper under where the Chaos Emerald had been stored caught his attention.

It had to be valuable if it was hid in the same place as the mythical jewel. Speckles of dried blood cluttered the edges of the frayed paper, hinting at the fate of whoever had stolen them from their rightful owner.

Interest peaked, Shadow reached in and pulled out the documents, laying them out on the desk. He could tell right away that they were incomplete due to the small size of the stack of papers, but the sheer complexity of what they depicted. This only made him more curious. Partial blueprints were all but useless in the black market: whatever this was, it was important enough to have the same level of security of a Chaos Emerald for the human he'd just killed.

Shadow's ears twitched, making him pause. He could hear the distant sound of sirens in the background from the local law enforcement, but he paid no mind. Any non-military force on the planet with a brain knew better than to stay in his way if they had the chance. The Ultimate Lifeform had spent plenty of years building up his reputation as a unstoppable force. He had plenty of time.

The striped hedgehog lit the desk's lamp and pulled it closer to the documents as he spread them, ruby eyes scanning the strange drawings with muffled curiosity, examine the shallow dips and curves of the sketches and what little writing was scattered between all of them. The paper was frizzled and yellow; he judged them to be at least a month old.

For once his mask broke, a frown breaking through the facade at what he saw.

He knew what he was seeing -the down turned quills and runner form were enough of a clue. There was one key issue however between the neatly drawn sketches and the real life mobian Shadow had nearly strangled to death a few days prior.

For starters, these were schematics of a robot.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

He grimaced as his shoes sunk into the vase, the muddy earth biting down on his feet and threatening to drag him further in. With a bit of extra effort he pulled himself lose onto firmer ground, grimacing at the squelching sound his shoes made upon being freed from the murky swamps.

Despite the time he spent away from the zone, it seemed as if nothing had changed.

The air was thick with humidity, stagnant, the faint smells of metal and gunpowder he'd come to be familiar with in his childhood making his nose wrinkle in distaste. Green eyes looked around sharply, once more trying to remember the route to the encampment.

Just as he was about to double back in case he'd accidentally ran pass the camp, the sound of a plane echoed across the clear skies. Sonic snapped his head up to the sky, eyes gleaming with joy as a bright purple plane looped high above his head with a roar, no doubt following the tracking beacon his brother had place in one of his shoes years ago.

Amused by his little sibling's antics, the Commander reached up and activated his headset.

"You do realize that this is a warzone, right?" The young mobian scolded lightheartedly as the plane continued to dance across blue skies.

 _"Like you're the one to talk."_ A child's voice replied on the other end snarkily. _"Might I remind you of the time you decided to ride on a missile just to see if you could?"_

"Hey, it served its purpose." Sonic joked back defensively. "I've never seen Robotnick so red, I thought he would pop a blood vessel!"

 _"It served its purpose alright."_ The boy replied in a deadpan manner. _"That hairline leg fracture did too._ "

"Details." Sonic waved him off, eyes tracking the bright purple plane closely. "Hey Knux, are you there?"

A low, grumpy growl echoed through the communication line. _"Of course, hedgehog."_ The last echidna's voice was deep and strong, much like the rocks the mobian could crush with his bare hands. _"What do you want?"_ Was said more warily.

"Alrighty! So, while Tails is busy recounting in all of the amazing stunts I've done so far, can you be a good third wheel and show me the way to the camp?"

 _"Fuck you."_ A pause. Sonic grimaced as he accidentally stepped on a sizeable mushroom, the slick material nearby sending him tumbling into the mud. _Dammit, karma._ _"It's southwest of your position; you can't miss it, jackass."_

"Aw, I knew you had it in you!" The sapphire hero purred softly. "Seriously though, 'fuck you'? Is that a confession I hear?"

A terrifying snarl echoed through the line, and the cobalt male quirked a eyebrow as he heard Tails yelp, the purple plane above taking a small dip in altitude before the fox managed to get a grip and steer it back up. Even from here, the speedster could hear the echidna salivating with anger.

 _"You little-"_

Sonic promptly deactivated the headset, humming a happy tune as he spun around and headed towards the desired location. He was pretty sure he'd just earned a beating from his overbearing companion, but eh, that would only happen if Knuckles could catch him, right?

...sometimes he wondered how Mother Nature hadn't offed him already...

* * *

 **And the plot for this first half unfolds. Like it? Hate it? If you think it needs any tweaks, feel free to comment. I was supposed to have pushed out one of the bigger stories' chapters out, but they have been on their way, just not as fast as the smaller stories.**

 **Then again I usually write around 2k for this, Bitter Cold and Caged Time, while stories like Broken Stream get up to 6k per chapter...good thing I only have two big stories right now...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh boy, it's been a while.**

 **Rejoice though, next chapter is almost done ;)**

* * *

"They'll likely arrive from here." Knuckles pointed at a northern trench of the canyon, where the terrain was steep but arid, devoid of the dangerous murky swamps. "That would be as close as the transport robots will be able to get them before the tar pits and mud lakes get them."

"How do we know they won't use a drop ship?"

"Canyon's too narrow for that, and the thick vegetation makes it impossible for them to find stable ground." One of the officers said gruffly. "If Robotnick was stupid enough to do that, there's a high chance the robots would land in a pit and sink."

 _If only it would be that easy._ Sonic hummed softly as he looked over the map spread out on the worn metal table, ignoring the hustling and bustling of the military troops outside, preparing for the approaching battle. The air was thick with the smell of metal, gunpowder and sweat, the mixture of scents a looming weight over the hero's shoulders, making him ever more aware that while he could dodge bullets just fine, the humans and mobians he was surrounded by were not as lucky.

Despite spending years saving people, he had yet to get used to the fact that sometimes, he just couldn't be fast enough. There was no illusion in Sonic's eyes; someone at the end of the day was going to get mauled by the machines, or killed.

The only thing he could do as their Commander is minimize the damage.

"How long until they arrive?"

"Estimated to be around twenty minutes, Commander." One of the soldiers reported as he circled the map. "We have snipers in these locations-" He gestured several red dots scattered across the map. "-they'll relay any signs of the army to us, then hunker down in their hideouts as they pass by. Unless the new model is equipped with new scanner technology we've never heard about, the camouflage suits that Mr. Prowder designed will block any attempt at finding them." Tails nodded sharply at the praise, his cheeks faintly dusted with red.

Ten minutes passed by with his captains explaining their strategies for the upcoming battle before the cobalt hedgehog was satisfied. Just to make sure, Sonic surveilled his commanding officers one by one, going over their duties before nodding and waving the men off.

"Good." Sonic said without further ado. "Dismissed."

The soldiers quickly scurried away without a second glance, loudly shouted orders permeating the air as everyone rushed to prepare for the upcoming fight. Sonic looked at the map one last time before stepping out of the tent, a strange sense of calm falling over him as his nose picked up the overwhelming scent of steel and gunpowder. After years spent fighting, it was something he'd grown used to.

 _Doesn't mean it gets any easier._ He thought sombrely, reminding himself what came after a fight of this scale. From the corner of his eyes, Sonic noticed a certain echidna and fox scurrying off, and was quick to follow them. Faster than a human can blink he was in front of the duo, hands on his hips.

"Where are you two going?"

Tails paused mid walk as he met the bright green eyes of his brother, his namesakes twitching restlessly behind him.

"I need to look at the Tornado one last time -I want to make sure it's ready." The fox responded hesitantly, offering his brother a small smile. Sonic faltered as he sensed the nervous undertone in his brother's words. Oh. "I don't want it malfunctioning on me during the battle." The boy continued, referring to the last time it had happened.

Sonic grimaced internally at the reminder, not wanting to show his displeasure to his sibling. It had been during a pivotal fight against Robotnick, which had contributed to his shame. Tails had flown overhead to provide aerial support, but one of the mounted guns had a jammed chamber and resulted in the Tornado's left wing exploding in flames.

Only his older brother's timely intervention had saved him, and with a child in tow, he was forced to retreat. The battle resumed a hour later, but it had been costly.

It was clear that the accident had scarred the kitsune. Not to mention, he was a child. A genius one, yes, but each time they went to battle it always left a bad taste in the Blue Blur's mouth. _I really shouldn't be dragging them into this._ He realizes tiredly, not for the first time, as he takes in the sight of the kit and the echidna standing side by side.

Sighing, Sonic bent down slightly to the fox's level and cupped his face carefully, cutting the boy's rambling off.

"Miles." He said softly, startled blue eyes locking with fierce green. "You can back out at any time. I mean it." The fox shivered, closing his eyes as if looking at his friend and brother was physically painful. "I won't blame you if you do it."

They could feel Knuckles' presence at their left, the biggest of the three mobians warning off any human that tried to look at them with dangerous hooded eyes. Even if he was half the size of a adult man, the echidna was strong enough to break their spine with ease, and they knew it. With such a guardian no men or woman tried to spy on the duo's conversation, leaving them well alone while the protective mobian stood guard over his friends.

The youngest of the trio sucked a deep breath before opening his eyes again, sapphire orbs sharp and aware. "No. We're brothers. I want to do this." He grabbed Sonic's wrists and held them a bit too tightly, as if to prove that he was there, he was real, and he was strong. The cobalt hedgehog smiled softly, eyes slightly glassy. "I go where you go. That's how it works. No war is going to stop that."

The young Commander couldn't help but let a small smile bloom at his declaration, his chest becoming tight with emotion. This was one of times he felt as if he wasn't worth such praise. And yet, here they were. They've done so much for me.

Sonic nodded softly, sensing that nothing would change the boy's mind. "Good." He stood up again, straightening his back as he turned to the silent echidna. "Knuckles, please stay with him."

"Always." His friend said with a solemn seriousness as he followed Tails towards the familiar purple plane. The duo turning around a corner of a tent and disappeared, lost among the crowd of personnel.

With his friends gone, he was left with nothing to do but wait. Sonic watched the soldiers run around, captains shouting out orders as their subordinates scrambled to prepare for the upcoming battle. The hustle and bustle was almost comforting in its familiarity, but this feeling quickly faded when he was reminded of why they were here.

 _They seem pretty busy..._ His eyes darkened somberly as he chewed on his lower lip, feeling dejectedly useless at the moment. Sonic had nothing to order them; each soldier knew exactly what to do, and was doing so faithfully. _I can't just stand there and do nothing. There has to be something I can do to help._

Sonic sighed heavily as he headed into the bustling horde of personnel, grabbing the vest of a passing human. A captain judging from the decorated uniform, the man opened his mouth to question his interference only to go stiff when he noticed whom had accosted him. His expression hardened when the cobalt hedgehog asked him if he could do anything for help, understanding in his eyes. The human quickly fired off a small list of task for the hero to do, which Sonic scrambled to complete. It was grunt work, but at least it kept his mind off the upcoming battle.

It would be far from his first fight, and yet he couldn't help but feel as if something was looming over his head, heavy and dangerous, just begging for the smallest of breezes to sent it crashing down.

xxxxxxx

"Are you sure about this?" Rouge said gravely as she lifted her gaze from the stack of papers Shadow had dropped onto her desk when he'd stormed her office less than ten minutes ago. "You know this can be faked-"

"I checked. It's Robotnick's handwriting." The Ultimate Lifeform cut off, passing around the room. Any faster and wear would show on the carpet. "I know what he's like. He's not one to start on a project without finishing them."

"The prints look pretty complete." A irregular spread of papers were missing, but Rouged chalked it up to them having been damaged during the heist. "His hatred for the new Commander is legendary. If this new model can do what it says here, that blue hedgehog is going to be in mighty be trouble." She leaned back, suddenly thoughtful. "How much do you think G.U.N. would spend to get their hands this?"

Shadow barely restrained himself from letting out a long suffering sigh at her behavior. Despite her sense of righteousness, as bent as it was, Rouge was first and foremost a business woman. If there was the slightest chance she could make a profit, she would grab that chance and squeeze every ring out of it.

A knock on the door startled the two out of their conversation, just as the Ultimate Lifeform got ready to remind his informant of whom had brought the blueprints to her. Shadow glanced at the bat, who stood up and went to check on the door's hole to see who it was, her footsteps as silent as a feral cat despite her high heels.

The charcoal male watched her move with narrowed eyes, fingers twitching, ready to summon his signature attack at any sign of hostilities. While the apartment complex across her bar was heavily reinforced and guarded by her henchmen, the obsidian hedgehog wasn't one for fully trusting others.

To his mild relief things didn't go south. Apparently satisfied by what she saw, Rouge opened the door, revealing a purple chameleon standing on the other side. The mobian was familiar to Shadow as one of the many detective agencies the master thief gained control of over the years.

What had been its name again? Chaotix? He distinctively remembered hearing her complain about a over energetic bee on its team that drove her up the wall until she's threatened to crush it with a boot. A flash of wariness surged through him at the thought. The Ultimate Lifeform examined the amethyst reptile more closely, trying to figure out what quirk this mobian had.

He looked professional enough with his straight posture, neutral expression and the tablet he clutched against his chest, but Shadow wasn't one to judge solely on appearance. The way the mobian moved was of a trained warrior. Definitively someone Rouge would have in her payroll.

"Ah, Espio!" Rouge exclaimed with a purr as she opened the door wider. "Anything for me, darling?"

The reptile's gazed flickered between her and Shadow, taking in the appearance of the weapon of mass destruction in his boss' office with slightly wide eyes. He then coughed softly and turned fully towards the pale bat, ignoring the red streaked hedgehog completely.

"I've been keeping a eye on the Commander's actions, as per your request. He's made a move." The purple mobian stated softly, turning the tablet around to show to the jewel thief. "Take a look."

He activated the device, playing what appeared to be the recording of a newsfeed. Shadow peaked over Rouge's shoulder as the winged female leaned in, intense aquamarine gaze fixed on the small screen.

 _"-as things settled down at the capital, rumors have arrived that Commander Sonic has left his post to head back to the warfront in the Frontier Canyon. While no speaker for G.U.N. has confirmed it, sightings of the Blue Blur heading south have been numerous. If this was true, why would he need to leave his new post so soon? Is there a new danger the public has been left in the dark about? What if-"_

Espio had the sense of mind to shut the device down at the point the newsfeed turned to pointless conspiracies for the sake of riddling the audience. As Rouge and Shadow exchanged glances, the purple chameleon pulled the tablet away before speaking:

"One of our contacts inside G.U.N. has confirmed that the Commander has left the base and is participating in a front line mission in the Canyon with Tails Prower and Knuckles the Echidna. It's our belief that it has something to do with the new ground model Robotnick has recently deployed."

"Thank you Espio."

The chameleon respectfully bowed before leaving without a sound. Rouge closed the door softly behind him before walking over her desk and dropping into the chair.

"That was informative." She sighed, her eyes darting to her wine cabinet, fingers itching for a glass to ease her nerves. "It doesn't add up, does it?" The jewel thief complained with a groan. "Why would he deploy that new foot model now, alone, and in the swamps of all places? And why is the blue boy heading off to fight them, when he had a entire army to do it for him?"

Shadow was puzzled by this too. Why would the blue hedgehog be so interested in this new development anyways? Why was he so eager to return to the fight? According to the merger information he was able to collect, the brat is known to be impulsive and borderline suicidal. Shadow could sense that with a glance -the memory of a young male staring up at him with defiant green eyes and a breath that smelled of alcohol as he told him off came to mind.

But was he that desperate to find something to do? Unlikely. He had plenty on his plate; it seemed as if every Zone wanted a piece of the mobian. And why would Ivo risk sending in the new models in a place he knows he can't assist them with the proper equipment to fight off the Blue Blur? Shadow's gaze fell down on the blueprints.

It clicked.

"He's not."

Rouge straightened up in her seat as the black hedgehog abruptly spoke, breaking the thick silence that had spread across the room..

"What?"

"He's not just sending the ground models." He marched up to her desk and grabbed the first page of the stack of documents, the dark outline of the mobian-shaped machine glinting under the light flirting through the windows. "They were bait, to spike the brat's interest. He's going to deploy this too."

Realizing what he was saying Rouge stood up and slammed her hands onto the desk with enough strength to send a glass of water crashing to the floor, staining the expensive carpet. Neither even glanced at the shattered glass.

"That little shit for brains." The jewel thief hissed, her voice filled with menace as she gathered up the documents in her hands. "If you're right-" Which both mobians knew he was, Shadow was rarely wrong. "-then this is a fucking trap. He's going to plunge us into a full on _civil war_ if someone doesn't stop him."

xxxxxxx

It watched the man slowly suffocate in its grasp, red eyes taking in the purplish skin and the desperation in the snivelling creature's eyes as it faintly tried to reach for its communicator. It tilted its head to the side, debating on how to proceed.

 _Lifeform is attempting to obtain communication device._ It processed using the data gathered from his sensors. _If subject achieves its goal, target will be alerted. Mission will be compromised. Target must not know about the operation._

 _Solution: Eliminate lifeform._

Without further ceremony, it crushed the neck of the human, quickly ending its life with a broken spine.

Emotions were such flawed concepts, but in this case, it couldn't help but feel satisfaction. The machine coldly dropped the cooling corpse off the side of the tree, watching it splatter to the ground with a resounding crunch, hapless limbs twisted around its body like a stringless puppet. Had he been alive, he would have screamed from the pain of several broken bones. No amount of armor protected the creature from the unforgiving embrace of gravity.

 _Observation: Fleshbags are fragile. Pathetic._

It looked around, vermilion eyes turning gold as its sight altered itself. Details and colours faded away as the machine looked around as if it had entered a whole new world. Faint lights cluttered the darkened forest, vaguely humanoid as they huddled stealthily among the trees, unaware of their approaching fate, the natural Chaos in their bodies unknowingly spelling their doom.

Deep within its chest cavity where a heart would be if this creature was of flesh and bones, a purple stone pulsed within a nest of wires.

xxxxxxx

Shadow sped through the earthly landscape of the Acorns Kingdom, gritting his teeth as he forced more Chaos through his strained shoes. He mentally kicked himself in the head for not having visited the battle-torn Zone of the Canyon previously as it was now costing him precious minutes. If he had visited the location before, he would already be in the middle of the fight by now.

This had to be rectified in case a similar situation happened in the future. A lot could change in few minutes while in a battlefield. For all Shadow knew, his target could be already dead and Eggman declaring a full-on war upon the weakened Zones under G.U.N. jurisdiction on every media channel in the world.

He couldn't allow himself to fail.

(Why did he care so much about this anyways?)

He forced down the growl threatening to escape his lips. Shadow grudgingly knew the answer to this. The blue attention was different from anyone else he'd met; rare were the ones who caught his interest, even rarer were those who managed to surprise him. Sonic had not what he had expected from the successor of Abraham Tower -in fact, it was as if his very existence was a challenge for everything he'd learned about mortals' destructive natures.

Wether he liked it or not, Sonic faintly reminded him of his sister's own stubbornness. Maria had never known when to quit. Even as Shadow had threatened to kill him, the azure one had refused to back down, boldly defending both himself and the people he was bound to protect. Had Towers been in his shoes, the human would have found a way to compromise or throw someone in between Shadow and himself if things went south for the manr.

It had happened before, when he'd just escaped his icy prison after a malfunction in the cooling system of the cryogenic chamber. Back then he only existed for revenge, and his only wish was to defy the expectations set by humanity. G.U.N. wanted a obedient little weapon, who would complete any task set by them; what they got instead was the complete opposite.

During his first years of freedom, Shadow tried to kill anyone related to the ARK massacre, convinced it would be the only way he could redeem himself and avenge his fallen sister, took several killing sprees for him to cool down and realized what he had done...how many people died caught in the crossfire, just like Maria. It was then the veil of rage that had clouded his eyes had lifted, and he'd understood that if he wanted to keep his promise, he couldn't go about it that way.

Sonic however placed himself front and center, defiant despite his precarious position. His sheer determination to push change through despite opposition pleasantly surprised Shadow. Not even a week was over since their meeting and the cobalt hero had pushed through several new laws and accords that had tightened the alliances between G.U.N. and the Zones, increased transparency and stimulated the economy.

It had been interesting and troubling move for the Commander in the eye of a public that couldn't quite make up their mind about him. Too young to be in that position, some said, he _had_ to be a puppet -yet at the same time his battle prowess and his achievements in the field had earned him a reputation few could ignore. After spending decades under Abraham Tower's rule, it was understandable that they would be unsure of this new leader.

As much as the countries had legal power over their territory, it was a unspoken truth that G.U.N. was the largest military power on Mobius, and thus truly ruled. Whoever sat in the position of Commander had a foot in nearly all of Mobius' governments. Their influence and reach was great, and with a army at their fingertips, it was hard to argue otherwise.

Given this, it was hard to acclimate to the idea of a Commander without a malicious agenda. Thus why Shadow was so skeptic of the blue hedgehog. There was no way someone could be that genuine and end up with one of the most powerful positions on the planet. The food chain didn't work that way; Shadow had long forsaken the illusion than anyone of G.U.N. or in any position of power could have a shred of decency, nevertheless the desire to better this world. They were sharks, all of then.

And yet for now, there was no evidence of otherwise when it came to Sonic.

Despite how sure he was of his conviction, he had nothing to bring up against the mortal, and thus the logical part of him understood that what he knew did not apply to the speedster. Not yet, at least. This _infuriated_ Shadow. Made him want to rip his quills out in frustration at this blatant defiance. It went against everything the black hedgehog had learned since he'd escaped his containment on Prison Island. It should _not_ happen.

He hated G.U.N. and anyone working for them, but he hated even more being wrong about something when his instincts roared that it couldn't be true.

Which is why Shadow wasn't going to let this enigma die such a careless death.

It simply wasn't about saving someone, or keeping the peace. He wouldn't allow Robotnick to steal his chance at being proven right.


End file.
